Hundreds of protesters calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza occupied a portion of Tulane University’s campus on Monday (April 29), setting up tents along St. Charles Avenue on a campus lawn in front of Gibson Hall and refusing to move despite demands from police.

The protest, organized by Tulane and Loyola University student groups, was similar to those that have cropped up at campuses across the country over the past several weeks. But despite a heavy police presence, as of Tuesday morning, the Tulane demonstration had yet to result in mass arrests of protesters recently seen at Columbia University, the University of Texas at Austin and others. 

Protesters convened at 5 p.m. first marching along Freret Street before attempting to set up tents on the lawn near St. Charles Avenue. Police, including officers from the Tulane University Police Department and mounted units from the New Orleans Police Department, initially tried to confiscate tent materials, scuffling with some and forcing them to the ground.

VIDEO: Tulane University police officers arrest pro-Palestine protestors

NOPD officers on horseback rode into the crowd. And Tulane Police arrested six people, accusing them of a range of charges including trespassing and battery of an officer, according to a Monday night statement from Tulane Associate Vice President of Public Safety Kirk Bouyelas.

Following those early arrests, protesters successfully set up a handful of tents on the campus as others formed a human barricade around them. Officers with the NOPD and TUPD stood down but maintained a perimeter around the demonstration and set up floodlights after dark. 

Along with their demand for a ceasefire in the war — which has left tens of thousands dead and more than 1 million Palestinians displaced — protesters chanted calls for the university to provide the public with information on its financial investments and divest from companies that do business with the Israeli government. A smaller counterprotest, which included students waving Israeli flags, formed in the St. Charles neutral ground.

Tulane has responded by closing several buildings on campus. Classes that normally meet in Gibson, Tilton-Memorial and Dinwiddie Halls are being held remotely, according to a statement from Tulane President Michael Fitts. Fitts also discouraged students and members of the public from gathering on the lawn where the protest is taking place.

“Arrests have already been made and suspensions are being issued,” Fitts said in the statement. “We will provide updates on this unfolding situation as they become available. We continue to work with local and state law enforcement on next steps in ending this unlawful protest in a way that ensures the safety of our community.”

As of Tuesday morning, the encampment was still intact, according to social media posts by the Tulane and Loyola student groups.

PHOTOS: Pro-Palestine protestors set up camp at Tulane University

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Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors occupy Tulane campus, six arrested

by Charles Maldonado, Michelle Liu and Drew Costley, Verite News
April 30, 2024

<h1>Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protestors occupy Tulane campus, six arrested</h1> <p class="byline">by Charles Maldonado, Michelle Liu and Drew Costley, Verite News <br />April 30, 2024</p> <p>Hundreds of protesters calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza occupied a portion of Tulane University’s campus on Monday (April 29), setting up tents along St. Charles Avenue on a campus lawn in front of Gibson Hall and refusing to move despite demands from police. </p> <p>The protest, organized by Tulane and Loyola University student groups, was similar to those that have cropped up at campuses across the country over the past several weeks. But despite a heavy police presence, as of Tuesday morning, the Tulane demonstration had yet to result in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/us/university-texas-austin-protest-abbott.html">mass arrests of protesters recently seen</a> at Columbia University, the University of Texas at Austin and others. </p> <p>Protesters convened at 5 p.m. first marching along Freret Street before attempting to set up tents on the lawn near St. Charles Avenue. Police, including officers from the Tulane University Police Department and mounted units from the New Orleans Police Department, initially tried to confiscate tent materials, scuffling with some and forcing them to the ground.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-video-tulane-university-police-officers-arrest-pro-palestine-protestors">VIDEO: Tulane University police officers arrest pro-Palestine protestors</h4> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtube.com/watch?v=tdb4BQHKiFQ </div> </figure> <p>NOPD officers on horseback rode into the crowd. And Tulane Police arrested six people, accusing them of a range of charges including trespassing and battery of an officer, according to a Monday night statement from Tulane Associate Vice President of Public Safety Kirk Bouyelas.</p> <p>Following those early arrests, protesters successfully set up a handful of tents on the campus as others formed a human barricade around them. Officers with the NOPD and TUPD stood down but maintained a perimeter around the demonstration and set up floodlights after dark.&nbsp;</p> <p>Along with their demand for a ceasefire in the war — which has left tens of thousands dead and more than 1 million Palestinians displaced — protesters chanted calls for the university to provide the public with information on its financial investments and divest from companies that do business with the Israeli government. A smaller counterprotest, which included students waving Israeli flags, formed in the St. Charles neutral ground.</p> <p>Tulane has responded by closing several buildings on campus. Classes that normally meet in Gibson, Tilton-Memorial and Dinwiddie Halls are being held remotely, according to a statement from Tulane President Michael Fitts. Fitts also discouraged students and members of the public from gathering on the lawn where the protest is taking place.</p> <p>“Arrests have already been made and suspensions are being issued,” Fitts said in the statement. “We will provide updates on this unfolding situation as they become available. We continue to work with local and state law enforcement on next steps in ending this unlawful protest in a way that ensures the safety of our community.”</p> <p>As of Tuesday morning, the encampment was still intact, according to social media posts by the Tulane and Loyola student groups.</p> <h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-photos-pro-palestine-protestors-set-up-camp-at-tulane-university">PHOTOS: Pro-Palestine protestors set up camp at Tulane University</h4> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter"> <div data-effect="slide"> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"> <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13879" data-id="13879" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_01-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Islam Elrabieey, a visiting scholar at Tulane University, looks out onto the crowd during a pro-Palestine protest on the university campus on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Protestors listen to speakers at a pro-Palestine demonstration at Tulane University on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13878" data-id="13878" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_02-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Protestors listen to speakers at a pro-Palestine demonstration at Tulane University on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Serena Sojic-Borne, a Tulane University alum and activist with Freedom Road Socialist Organization, speaks during a pro-Palestine protest at Tulane University on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13877" data-id="13877" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_03-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Serena Sojic-Borne, a Tulane University alum and activist with Freedom Road Socialist Organization, speaks during a pro-Palestine protest at Tulane University on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Pro-Palestine protestors, led by Tulane University students, march on Calhoun Street in New Orleans on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13876" data-id="13876" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_05-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Pro-Palestine protestors, led by Tulane University students, march on Calhoun Street in New Orleans on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Pro-Palestine protestors link arms to form a wall around an encampment they built on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13875" data-id="13875" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_07-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Pro-Palestine protestors link arms to form a wall around an encampment they built on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Tulane University police and pro-Palestine protestors stand in opposing lines during a demonstration at Tulane University on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13874" data-id="13874" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_08-1024x728.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Tulane University police and pro-Palestine protestors stand in opposing lines during a demonstration at Tulane University on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Pro-Palestine protestors form a wall to protect the encampment they built on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13873" data-id="13873" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_010-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Pro-Palestine protestors form a wall to protect the encampment they built on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Pro-Palestine protestors link arms to create a wall to protect an encampment they built on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13872" data-id="13872" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_09-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Pro-Palestine protestors link arms to create a wall to protect an encampment they built on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Vonne Crandell, a student at Tulane University and pro-Palestine protestor, speaks to the media during a protest at Tulane on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13871" data-id="13871" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_015-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Vonne Crandell, a student at Tulane University and pro-Palestine protestor, speaks to the media during a protest at Tulane on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="A group of counterprotestors stand across the street from an encampment pro-Palestine protestors set up on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13870" data-id="13870" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_016-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">A group of counterprotestors stand across the street from an encampment pro-Palestine protestors set up on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="A New Orleans Police Department officer monitors protestors during a protest at Tulane University after a shouting match broke out between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protestors on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13869" data-id="13869" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_017-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">A New Orleans Police Department officer monitors protestors during a protest at Tulane University after a shouting match broke out between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protestors on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Musicians drum out a beat for protestors to chant along with during a pro-Palestine protest on Tulane University's campus on April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13868" data-id="13868" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_018-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Musicians drum out a beat for protestors to chant along with during a pro-Palestine protest on Tulane University's campus on April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Pro-Palestine protestors form a line to protect the encampment they built on Tulane University's campus during a protest at the university on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13867" data-id="13867" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_019-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Pro-Palestine protestors form a line to protect the encampment they built on Tulane University's campus during a protest at the university on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="A Tulane University Police Department officer looks away during a pro-Palestine demonstration on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13866" data-id="13866" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_020-1024x684.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">A Tulane University Police Department officer looks away during a pro-Palestine demonstration on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Protestors chant during a pro-Palestine demonstration at Tulane University on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13865" data-id="13865" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_021-1024x683.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Protestors chant during a pro-Palestine demonstration at Tulane University on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Protestors sit around the encampment they built during a pro-Palestine demonstration at Tulane University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13864" data-id="13864" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_023-1024x683.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Protestors sit around the encampment they built during a pro-Palestine demonstration at Tulane University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="Students talk with each other at a pro-Palestine encampment on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024." class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-13862" data-id="13862" src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/TULANESDS043024_025-1024x683.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Students talk with each other at a pro-Palestine encampment on Tulane University's campus on Monday, April 29, 2024.</figcaption></figure> </li> </ul> <p><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a></p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div> </div> </div> </div> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://veritenews.org/2024/04/30/hundreds-of-pro-palestinian-protestors-occupy-tulane-campus-six-arrested/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://veritenews.org">Verite News</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-Verite-icon.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://veritenews.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=13882&amp;ga4=G-MBPTYVCMYR" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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